Project profile — Scaling Her Voice on Air in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Senegal

• Nigeria (0.90%)
• Burkina Faso (28.10%)
• Malawi (0.90%)
• Tanzania (0.90%)
• Mali (28.10%)
• Senegal (28.10%)
• Ethiopia (0.90%)
• Ghana (10.00%)
• Uganda (0.90%)
• Kenya (0.90%)

• Africa, regional (0.30%)

• Basic nutrition:
Basic nutrition (12240) (18.20%)
Health education (12261) (18.20%)
• Health: COVID-19 control (12264) (9.20%)
• Food crop production:
Food crop production (31161) (27.20%)
Agricultural extension (31166) (27.20%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (principal objective)
• Climate Change Adaptation (significant objective)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Nutrition (significant objective)

A fundamental rural development need in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali and Senegal is the lack of relevant, gender-responsive and timely information, communication and extension services for small-scale farmers (women, men and youth). To address this issue, Farm Radio International (FRI) aims to scale up interactive rural radio in 17 regions of Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal and Ghana, reaching 61 radio stations and engaging at least 70 stakeholder groups including farmer-based and women’s organizations. Project activities include: (1) providing relevant, timely and gender-responsive information on: effective, climate-smart agriculture; climate adaptation; gender-equality; and improved nutritional practices; (2) deepening knowledge exchanges between women, poor, and vulnerable small-scale farmers in rural areas to identify and address their respective needs using mobile tools; and (3) strengthening evidence-based decision at the community level and provide stakeholder groups with access to compiled outcome data on food-security, agriculture and gender-equality. It is expected that this project impacts up to 7.3 million small-scale farmers, including an estimated 2.3 million women small-scale farmers in the four targeted countries. Farm Radio International implements this project in partnership with FRI-Burkina Faso, FRI-Mali, FRI-Senegal, FRI-Ghana and CECI/Uniterra (Senegal).

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased use of interactive radio by radio stations and key stakeholders groups as a sustainable gender-responsive platform for quality information, communication and knowledge; (2) increased application of good agriculture and nutrition practices by small-scale women, men and youth farmers using interactive radio; and (3) increased application of gender transformative practices by rural men, women and youth using interactive radio in relation to family food security.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (April 2023) include: (1) reduction of moderate or severe family food insecurity for 526,710 male and female farmers and young people. This number is deducted from the 2,141,380 male and female farmers and youth reported at the beginning of the project; (2) 6% decrease in the gap between women and men. This gap is measured by the Empowerment Index, decreasing from 25% at the beginning of the project to 19% at the end. An 11.8% reduction in the gap between young people and adults is also reported, from 12% at the beginning of the project to 0.2% at the end; (3) 67% of the focus groups met perceive an improved level of the food security situation; and (4) 79% of the focus groups met perceive an improved level of the gender equality situation.

• Proactive disclosure